Means for stabilizing ships with fuel oil



April 3', 1937. E. R. CARROLL 2,077,143

MEANS FOR STABILIZING SHIPS WITH FUEL OIL Filed Jan. 6, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mll ATTORNEY 8 April 13, 1937. E. R. CARROLL MEANS FOR S-TABILIZING SHIPS WITH FUEL,'OIL

Filed Jan. 6 193% 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWM/ ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNITED STATES PAT NT oFrIcE w 2,017,143 r MEANS FOR s'rnnmzmo smrs wrrnrnnr. on.

Application January 6, 1932, Serial No. 584,970 7 6 Claims; (Cl. 114-425) My invention relates to an improved means for damping the rolling motion of ships, using a component part of the vessel's usual and necessary; or reserve, fuel supply of oil, the invention being applicable to any ship using oil for fuel, either for boilers, Diesel or other forms of internal combustion motors.

The objects of my invention, among others, are to provide means for damping the rolling mo- 10 tion of ships, destroying the synchronism between wave and hull motions leading to violent rolling, providing a better gun platform in naval vessels, increasing speed and saving the wear on gears and other equipment caused by rolling.

It is not a novel conception to provide especially built and shaped tanks within a vessels hull, either open to the ingress of sea water or connected in such manner that a weight of water oscillates from side to side of the ship. Such tanks are waste space apart from their antirolling function, detracting from the available cargo and passenger space, increasing the displacement by reason of their otherwise useless weight of water and hence increasing the operting expense, decreasing speed, and adding considerably to the building cost of the ship. The types which are open to the sea'and alternately fill and discharge with the roll of ship thru ports open to the sea, have the additional disadvantage of weakening the ship structure in providing necessary openings in the shell plating.

These openings further retard speed and are unsightly.

To overcome these objections to old style water stabilizing tanks, which have prevented their common use, is the object of my'present invention which utilizes common ship constructions with slight and inexpensive additions and the necessary fuel oil. Merchant vessels ordinarily 40 carry their fuel oil supply in double bottoms and in deep tanks. Naval vessels, in addition to double bottom tanks, frequently have wing tanks, built in the wake of armor, or in way of boilers, turbine spaces, magazines or other vital parts 5 as a. medium of protection. It is my object to provide means of utilizing these tank spaces as now constructed and the fuel oil usually stored therein, to dampen the rolling motion of the ship.

The essential principle of all anti-rolling tanks is the addition and subtraction of weight alternately at points outboard of the center of gravity of the ship thus counteracting the alternate 55 increase and decrease of buoyancy caused by the passage of a beam or quartering sea progressively from one bilge to the other. Hitherto, this weight has been water; sea water, a burden of.

no value apart from its weight as a stabilizer.

The period of roll coinciding with wave period are the cause of culminative oscillations which may increase to a degree that endangers the safety of the ship or her fittings. Anti-rolling tanks are usually designed to provide means for adjusting the period of transference of water so that it may lag behind the rolling period of the hull sufiiciently to destroy the synchronism produced between waves and ship. It is anobject of my invention to improve the method of timing the oscillation of weight and to restore such weight to the category of fixed, confined weights contributing to the ballast of the ship at the option of the crew. Another object, applicable to ships carrying oil in inner bottom tanks, is to utilize the frictional resistance of the interstices in the longitudinals spacing the bottom and top of the double bottom and regulating said resistance by means of projecting plates in the innerzbottom swinging in an arc around the center of gravity of the ship againstthe inertia of the oil. I This is accomplished by utilizing openings in the keelsons or longitudinal plates by which the athwartship flow of .the oil in the double bottom and in or between tanks or tank regulating or adjustably modifying or dampening the flow by valves mounted in said openings. Other objects of the invention are to provide means of utilizing present forms and methods of ship construction in conjunction with the oil carried, to moderate rolling motion in a manner acceptable to classification societies and insurance companies and to utilize the reserve or ordinary 'fuel oil supply in anti-rolling tanks that do not detract from the useful space avail- .able within the ship, nor decrease her speed,

. for vessels now in operation without major structional changes or weakening of 'the hull structure. A further object of the invention is to provide more efdcient devices for timing and controlling the flow of oil as a counter weight.

With these and other objects in View, which arrangements of parts, together with such modifications and variations as will readily be apparent to one skilled in the art to which' the in-' vention appertains, all as described in the following specification, drawings and claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic midship section of a naval vessel, having wing tanks in line with and preferably on the inboard side of armor for oil or other liquid storage.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic midship section of a cargo or passenger vessel usingthe double bottom to store liquid.

Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2, but showing apertures in longitudinals closed.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal deck section looking down on the naval vessel shown in Fig.1.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same vessel looking outboard from the centerline. In

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section, looking fore and aft, of a preferred method of closing apertures in athwartship passages.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal view at right angles to Fig. 6. i I

As shown three liquid holding tanks are mounted within the hull on each side of the vessel and outboard of the center of gravity. A greater or less number might be employed. Said tanks suitably mounted and secured are of preferably conventional or standard form and may be connected by pipes l2 having valves l3 to control the flow from one to the other. Sluices, preferably of rectangular section as shown at 20, may take the place of pipes or be used in combination with them to give the required volume of flow. The tanks constructed and mounted as shown do not require any modification of the standard construction of hull. The number of tanks used and volume of oil is der pendent on displacement of the ship. For most vessels one to two percent in weight of oil to the weight of the ship is sufficient. The air pipes Ill vent each tank. The flow of oil may be controlled, if desired, by valves in these air pipes.

The use of the double bottom as an anti-rolling tank I believe has never before been proposed. In Fig. 1 it will be seen that the wing tanks II are connected thru the inner bottom H in lieu of cross pipe I 2 thus not detracting from the useful or available cargo or other carrying space'within the hull while at the same time providing in connection with the tanks, when the same are used, a maximum length of oil or other liquid column. Figure 2 is a midship section of a common freight or passenger vessel utilizing the double bottom for fuel oil. The longitudinals l6 divide the bottom into cells and have suitable openings preferably fitted with gate or other suitable valves I! which may be operated in gangs by gears and shafts 8 and 9 to modify the flow from side to side of the ship when operated or adjusted to different positions. In Fig. 2 the valves are shown open giving the oil free flow athwartship, the interstices of the longitudinals acting against the oil serving to modify the roll. Fig. 3 is a view of the'same section with valves closed, isolating each cell. With the valves open as shown in Fig. 2 the oil shown level at 18 changes to H] at the end of the roll.

and valves.

with relation to the center of gravity of v the vessel. With valves open, the oil acts as a counterbalance to the roll, the amount of lag being regulated by the valves and the size of aperture.

Another form of valve is shown in Figures 6 and 7 of which Fig. 6 is an .athwartship view, showing longitudinal keelsons 20 with gate valves 2| actuated by a toggle 22 on an opposed threaded shaft 24. A stufiing box 23 is provided to prevent leakage to the hand wheel 9. The valves 2| are situated as far apart as spacing of the longitudinals and alternate longitudinalsmay be left open, or the valves operated singly instead of in gangs. Fig. 7 shows a longitudinal section between the frames with the same type valve. This Figure i also illustrates a section of a sluice used as at 20. The valve 2| is shown closed rendering the passage practically oil tight. There are many variations possible in the form of valve; it may. be hinged from tank top, power operated, etc. In essence, it should be sufficiently strong to confine the 011 if desired and of maximum aperture, and capable of graduating the flow.

While I have described my invention in detail in its present preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications made he made therein without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. I endeavor in the appended claims to cover such modifications and changes.

I am aware that prior to my invention, antirolling tanks have been proposed and used with sea water, operating in conjunction with ports I therefore do not claim such a combination.

I do not limit myself to the use of fuel oil as the anti-rolling liquid in the construction described and claimed since any other liquid stored on ship board as a part of the equipment to be used or consumed in connection with the maintenance or operation 'of the ship while at sea may be employed in place of fuel oil.

I claim:

1. In ships using oil for fuel, the combination of wing tanks for storage of oil, and a double bottom provided with longitudinals joining such tanks, constructed witha multiplicity of oil circulating transverse passages allowing restricted movement of the oil transversely or athwartship through the longitudinals of said double bottom to counteract the roll of the ship and means within such passages to graduate the flow of oil and to seal the passages against oil flow.

- 2. In a ship using oil for fuel and having a double bottom provided with longitudinals, roll modifying means comprising an athwartship passage through openings in the longitudinals of said double bottom for said fuel oil and means mounted in said openings adjustable to control the flow of the oil.

3. In a ship using oil for fuel and having a modifying means comprising an athwartship passage through openings in the longitudinals of said double bottom permitting an athwartship shift of said fuel oil and means for adjustably restricting the flow of the oil through said passage to control the roll.

4. In ships using oil for fuel, means for counteracting roll comprising a double bottom for oil stowage provided with frames and longitudinals, air vents from the oil stowage spaces, openings in longitudinals between frames and means for graduating the size of such openings comprising a shaft and gears.

' 5. In ships using oil 'for fuel, means for counteracting roll comprising a double bottom for oil stowage provided with longitudinals and frames connected thereby, air vents from the oil stowage space, transverse oil flow openings in the longitudinals between the frames, flow, controlling gates, a main actuating shaft and means connected with said shaft for operating said gates together.

stowage provided with longitudinals and frames connected thereby, air vents from the oil stowage space, transverse oil flow openings in the longitudinalsbetween the frames, flow controlling gates for said oil flow openings and operating means for the latter comprising toggle and arms and a main actuating shaft for said toggle and arms.

EDWARD R. CARROIL. 

